Secretary Mayorkas Announces Extension and Redesignation of Yemen for Temporary Protected Status
News release originally published by the Department of Homeland Security.
Redesignation Allows Additional Newly Eligible Yemeni Nationals to Apply for TPS and Employment Authorization Documents
WASHINGTON – Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas today announced the extension and redesignation of Yemen for Temporary Protected Status for 18 months, from September 4, 2024, to March 3, 2026, due to country conditions in Yemen that prevent individuals from safely returning.
After consultation with interagency partners, Secretary Mayorkas determined that an 18-month extension and redesignation of Yemen for TPS is warranted because ongoing armed conflict and extraordinary and temporary conditions continue to support Yemen’s TPS designation, and that the extension and redesignation are not contrary to the national interest of the United States.
“Yemen has been in a state of protracted conflict for the past decade, severely limiting civilians’ access to water, food, and medical care, pushing the country to the brink of economic collapse, and preventing Yemeni nationals living abroad from safely returning home,” said Secretary Mayorkas. “The steps the Department of Homeland Security has taken today will allow certain Yemenis currently residing in the United States to remain and work here until conditions in their home country improve.”
The redesignation of Yemen for TPS allows an estimated 1,700 Yemeni nationals (and individuals having no nationality who last habitually resided in Yemen) who have been continuously residing in the United States since July 2, 2024 to file initial applications for TPS, if they are otherwise eligible.
The extension of TPS for Yemen allows approximately 2,300 current beneficiaries to retain TPS through March 3, 2026, if they continue to meet TPS eligibility requirements. This extension and redesignation does not apply for anyone who was not already in the United States on July 2, 2024.
The corresponding Federal Register notice provides information about registering for TPS as a new or current beneficiary under Yemen’s extension and redesignation. The Federal Register notice explains eligibility criteria, timelines, and procedures necessary for current beneficiaries to re-register and renew EADs, and for new applicants to submit an initial application under the redesignation and apply for an EAD.
Accompanying this announcement is a Special Student Relief notice for F-1 nonimmigrant students whose country of citizenship is Yemen, or individuals having no nationality who last habitually resided in Yemen, so that eligible students may request employment authorization, work an increased number of hours while school is in session, and reduce their course load while continuing to maintain F-1 status through the TPS designation period.
Current TPS beneficiaries who wish to extend their status through March 3, 2026, must re-register during the 60-day re-registration period from July 10, 2024, through September 9, 2024, to ensure they keep their TPS and employment authorization. DHS recognizes that not all re-registrants may receive a new Employment Authorization Document before their current EAD expires and is automatically extending through September 3, 2025, the validity of EADs previously issued under Yemen’s TPS designation.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services will continue to process pending applications filed under previous TPS designations for Yemen. Individuals with a pending Form I-821, Application for Temporary Protected Status, or a related Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, as of July 10, 2024 do not need to file either application again. If USCIS approves a pending Form I-821 or Form I-765 filed under the previous designation of TPS for Yemen, USCIS will grant the individual TPS through March 3, 2026, and issue an EAD valid through the same date.
Under the redesignation of Yemen, eligible individuals who do not have TPS may submit an initial Form I-821, Application for Temporary Protected Status, during the initial registration period that runs from July 10, 2024 through March 3, 2026. Applicants also may apply for TPS-related EADs and for travel authorization. Applicants can request an EAD by submitting a completed Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, with their Form I-821, or separately later.
Since the Securing the Border Presidential Proclamation and Interim Final Rule was issued in early June, over 24,000 noncitizens have been removed or returned to more than 20 countries. All irregular migration journeys are extremely dangerous, unforgiving, and often result in loss of life. DHS will continue to enforce U.S. laws and will return noncitizens who do not establish a legal basis to remain in the United States.